The theme for the orchid show in Chicago was "Magnified" and the approach taken was pretty cool. There were several displays with handheld magnifiers, each pointing out some near-micro aspect of the bloom and why it would be found on that orchid. For some there were banks of fresnel lenses suspended in front of flowers to enlarge them to at least three times their normal size. It was a way to get people to pause and look a little more closely at these unusual blooms.
One display in particular was very different. individual orchids were placed in front of concave mirrors with the bloom facing into the mirror. Like a carnival fun-house mirror these magnified the bloom with only a little distortion. What I found interesting was the idea of an orchid admiring itself in a mirror. Wonder what they thought?
